Berkshire Record
June 30, 2006

By Allissa Wickham

“Are we going to need those shovels and hoses to keep organized?” jokes a woman, pointing to the orderly display of gardening tools on the far wall. Andrea Feldman laughs, her characteristic smile bursting across her face.

Seated on folding chairs and surrounded by enough shelving to start a small museum, this group is ready for the main event. The store is Organize It! in the Allendale shopping center, and last Thursday it offered something far more entertaining than its usual folders and boxes: a free lecture from clutter expert Andrea Feldman.

“How long does it take you to find something in your house?” she asks.

“Ten minutes!” shouts one person.

“Days!” admits another.

Turning towards a large legal pad with the words Conquer Clutter! scrawled across it, Feldman nods. In her eleven years as a professional organizer, she’s heard it all.

Working for businesses and individuals alike, Andrea Feldman shares her clutter clearing tactics through speeches, classes, and one-on-one consultations. Her talks are filled with warmth and humor, touching on everything from curbing shopping habits (stay away from tag sales) to coping with the neverending stream of your kid’s artwork (take pictures instead of saving every finger painted scrap).

With audience members eager to share their frustrations, Feldman does her fair share of listening as well.  “People are embarrassed, anxious, overwhelmed,” she says. “They’re dying to talk about it. I want to make it O.K. for them. This is a judgment-free zone.”

While she’s always had a knack for organizing, Feldman credits her expertise to the many years she spent in management. Working in the Berkshires and New York City, she’s overseen operations at both a residential learning center and a holistic health care office.

When not managing, Feldman often worked as a professional chef. Ironically, it was while pursuing her culinary career that the seeds for her current business were planted.

“I was working as a caterer in New York when a friend asked me to help a friend of her’s-  a writing professor at Columbia. [The professor] had this big apartment filled with papers and other stuff. I’m glad to say that I was able to help her.”

Feldman moved to the Berkshires permanently in 2000 and has helped approximately 300 people since. For on-site consultations, Feldman says she meets people wherever their clutter is, be it in the office or the unused laundry room. After walking through the trouble zone, Feldman and her clients collaborate on a game plan.
“It’s a process,” she says, “and it’s totally customized for each individual. Having a fixed program just wouldn’t work.”

In many cases, it’s all about downsizing. Tag sales and the Goodwill are common destinations for the bothersome articles clogging people’s dining rooms and hallways.  When asked why some people suffer from clutter, Feldman is quick to insist that it’s really no one’s fault.  “Usually, stuff just happens! Maybe someone loses a job, or someone gets a job, and suddenly there’s less time. People have all sorts of stories.”

One story involves a woman working from home, whose husband and teenage daughter chronically borrowed office supplies without returning them. Thinking that her scissors and tape were gone for good, the woman purchased replacements (“That’s something I see a lot,” warns Feldman, “People buy more and more and more.”) After her first de-cluttering session, the client was amazed to realize that she was the proud owner of seventeen staplers.

There are countless other tales, ranging from a client who began to write a book after clearing her home office, to another who discovered a new love after purging her house of its mess.
“You never know what you’re going to find!” teases Feldman.

 For readers seeking quick advice, Feldman suggests starting small and choosing specific tasks. Avoid trying to conquer spaces like the attic and basement in a single afternoon, and instead focus on fresh clutter that’s bothering you daily. Undertaking a large task in a short time rarely works and will only lead to frustration. Feldman also suggests asking a friend to help, and is a proponent of rewarding yourself appropriately when the task is completed. 

In short, Feldman says she defines clutter as “anything that has become unmanageable.”  “There’s a difference between messy and disorganized,” she explains. “You can’t really tell. A space could look messy, but actually be perfectly operational.”

Feldman emphasizes that those who come to her must be ready to change. She believes that her work “is for people who want it, not just people who need it.”

“It really takes a commitment,” she says, and insists that every one of her clients is a success story to some degree. Many keep in touch with her after their de-cluttering and some routinely attend her lectures to brush up on tips.  In all, Feldman hopes to help people lead happier, more constructive lives.

“After all,” she says with a grin, “I’m not just there to tidy.”

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